different guitars......same track

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notbradsohner

Compression Addict
can any of you give me a reason on why i cant mix different guitars

for example, i have a les paul that i like a lot for distortion, but cant stand for a clean part. i would prefer to use a strat.

so, in the same song, can i use two different guitars, or can you guys notice a difference.

i know i know, try it, but its worth a shot here first
 
Basic "rule" - If it gives you the sound you want, then use it.
 
Man,

I use like 10 guitar tracks regularly on a song.

Rule #1 There are no rules.

Well, not really but for this instance it applies.

H2H.
 
I constantly mix guitars when recording songs. I actually prefer doing this becasue it adds a bit of variety to the songs.
 
I can tell the difference and I too mix different guitars. Why wouldn't you in your situation?
 
notbradsohner said:
can any of you give me a reason on why i cant mix different guitars

for example, i have a les paul that i like a lot for distortion, but cant stand for a clean part. i would prefer to use a strat.

so, in the same song, can i use two different guitars, or can you guys notice a difference.

i know i know, try it, but its worth a shot here first
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Yes, you may use two different guitars.

It's only when the bum out back who was digging through the dumpster comes in with a Banjo, kazoo, and slidewhistle that you know your fucked. Studio musician my ass.
 
Using two guitars, or even more, on a single song is a great idea if you have access to them. The differences in their sounds means you have to do less processing to make each stand out when mixing down. From a recording point of view that's a very good thing.

Maybe the song point of view things are a little bit different, but I still think that if you're through the trouble of multiple guitar tracks then most of the time you still want each one heard.
 
There is a Cheap Trick song called Hard To Tell that Rick Nielsen uses a Les Paul for the intro lead lick and then A Telecaster for the main rhythm guitar track while Robin Zander plays a Mosrite. There are no rules.
 
Heck I routinely have bands I produce mix guitars and amps all the time.

Example of one song we did:

Distorted Tracks:

Rhythm Guitarist - Track 1 & 2 - Marshall JCM800 & Brian Moore i2 + Rat + MXR EQ

Lead Guitarist Rhythm Tracks - Track 3 & 4 - Marshall JCM800 & Fender Cyclone + Rat + MXR EQ

Clean Guitar Tracks:

Rhythm Guitarist - Track 1 - Lab L5 and Orange Crush 10 & Brian Moore i2 neck single coil thru MXR DynaComp & Small Clone chorus

Rhythm Guitarist - Track 2 - Lab L5 and Orange Crush 10 & Brian Moore i2 bridge single coil thru MXR DynaComp & Small Clone chorus

Acoustic Guitar Tracks with Clean Guitar:

Rhythm Guitarist - Tracks 1 & 2 - Takamine acoustic with C451 pointed 12th fret and Rode NT1 'over the shoulder' point to body of guitar (both mics plus direct signal summed at board after being ran thru DBX160 compressor).

This was a fairly simple setup. I've used as many as two seperate Laney heads and 4x12's with 6 mics setup around the room ranging from off-axis SM57's, AKG 414's on omni as far as 30' away, mics behind the amps, etc... etc...

With guitar sounds you can get stupidly creative. This last time I used a Rode NT1 and RE20 to record the distorted guitar with.
 
Occasionally I've heard mixing amps/guitars throughout a song make the song sound a bit disjointed, but usually it doesn't make too big of a difference (switching sounds during songs is a standard for many studios). When I hit this problem, a lot of the time I'll either A) record entire tracks of the song with both guitars, then, if you want a certain guitar to stand out in the chorus and the other guitar to stand out in the verse, turn the levels up on the primary one during the parts, but leave the other track in, just pretty low, and fade it up when it's time for the other guitar to come back in. Or B) you could simply start fading in the other guitar track before it switches from verse/chorus or whatever (ie get some feedback, or start playing the same thing as the other guitar a few measures before the switch, and then fade that guitar in when mixing). Anyway those are just a couple of things I've tried, but most likely this won't even be a problem.
 
How many bands have 2 guitarists with the same axe and the exact same signal chain? Can you have more than one instrument in an orchestra? The only thing I would say is- before you start, make sure both of those axes are in tune with each other. If you knock one out of tune, getting them back together is a pain. I often start with an electric track and overdub the second guitar with an acoustic.-Richie
 
I can't think of a recent rock abum that doesn't use a multitude of guitars and amplifiers on the same songs.
 
noiseportrait said:
I can't think of a recent rock abum that doesn't use a multitude of guitars and amplifiers on the same songs.
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Any AC/DC record. Malcolm and Angus use the same guitars every time. Their amps have always been pretty much the same as well.
 
AdrianFly said:
....a Banjo, kazoo, and slidewhistle....
Click to expand...

I've got a nice assortment of kazoos, tin whistles, jews harps, slide whistles, dollar store recorders, and a family banjo. And, i'm very fluent with the ukulele.

Thank you very much.
 
Multiple different guitars adds texture. It's usually a good thing.
 
BlindCowboy said:
I've got a nice assortment of kazoos, tin whistles, jews harps, slide whistles, dollar store recorders, and a family banjo. And, i'm very fluent with the ukulele.

Thank you very much.
Click to expand...

I feel compelled to feign offense, and also ask...

what is a "jew harp"?
 
A jew's harp is a corruption of "jaw harp". It's got a small steel or aluminum frame held against the teeth, and a steel spring that is plucked. The size and shape of the mouth is used as a sound box, and can alter pitch and tone. It's one of those weird little specialty instruments that falls in with kazoos, and is a must in an old time jug band. Do a search on "jaw harp".-Richie
 
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